A new year and a new beginning.
As each new year draws near, I find myself anticipating a new beginning. A fresh start. Time to make some changes and begin healthy habits.
New beginnings can be scary and overwhelming. They can be by choice or simply by circumstance, but all new beginnings offer us something — a chance to trust and see what God has for us.
I’m right in the midst of a new beginning, as I’m learning what it’s like to not be a part of vocational ministry at ACF Church.
I started with ACF back in 2019 after a somewhat funny exchange I had with God about a possible new beginning. I had been subbing with the Anchorage School District, trying my hand at a home-based business and wondering if this is really where God wanted me — so I asked him, “God, what do you want me to be when I grow up?” (Mind you, I was over 50 at the time). The very next day, I was asked to apply for the First Impressions Coordinator job at ACF Church. While super reluctant, I couldn’t deny that I had gotten a pretty clear answer from God, and while I didn’t really think that was where He wanted me (I mean have you met me, God?), I was obedient and applied.
What I didn’t realize at the time, is that ACF Church is exactly where God wanted me, and I was to find out over the next six years all that He had for me there — the growth, the blessings, the friends, the purpose — all of it. I met some of my best friends through this calling, and I was able to see the children of my colleagues and friends come to life and grow up. I would even picture some of the littlest ones as they entered ACF Kids and then calculate how old I would be when they entered YouthCulture (not a pretty picture). All that to say, I thought this would be where I would be until I retired from the work life completely…
And then in October of 2025, I heard God clearly tell me it was time to go. Time to go? Are you serious? But this is where I’m needed. This is where my gifts are truly used. This is where I feel purpose. This is where my family is…
And yet, my family (my blood family) wasn’t there. None of my family attended church with me. None of them understood the purpose I felt in that job. What they did know was that they rarely saw me. They rarely, if ever, really had all of me because my mind was always on the “job.” And God reminded me of what I often told others: “Your biggest mission field is your family.”
I knew immediately that I was supposed to put in my notice and leave my job. And I was sad. I was frustrated. I was even a little angry at God. Where was I supposed to go? What was I supposed to do? In that first week, I bargained a lot. I asked friends to pray for me — was I actually hearing this correctly? And confirmation after confirmation brought so much peace — and a whole lot of grief. Both can be true.
Here’s what I have learned in both of these new beginnings — I CAN trust God. He is loving, compassionate, and truly wants the best for me. Both of these changes — walking into and leaving vocational ministry — were exactly where God wanted me at the time. I’m thankful that I was obedient to his call on both occasions because I have seen so many blessings through them.
Right now, I can say that I am truly WITH my family when I’m with my family. They get all of me. I have enjoyed going to lunch with my daughter, hanging with my son, and watching football with my husband (all things I didn’t often take time for while I was working in full-time ministry).
And while I feel like I’m wandering in the desert a little, waiting to see what God “wants me to be when I grow up,” this truth is helping me remember that God is faithful, and that He is not done with me yet:
Lamentations 3:22-23 – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.”
Here I am, in a new beginning and so thankful for a God who knows where and when I’m supposed to be. I look forward to what He has for me next, because one thing I know for sure: if I have breath in my lungs, God’s not done with me.
What new beginning are you stepping out in? Know that whatever it is, God’s not done with you yet.
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A new year and a new beginning.
As each new year draws near, I find myself anticipating a new beginning. A fresh start. Time to make some changes and begin healthy habits.
New beginnings can be scary and overwhelming. They can be by choice or simply by circumstance, but all new beginnings offer us something — a chance to trust and see what God has for us.
I’m right in the midst of a new beginning, as I’m learning what it’s like to not be a part of vocational ministry at ACF Church.
I started with ACF back in 2019 after a somewhat funny exchange I had with God about a possible new beginning. I had been subbing with the Anchorage School District, trying my hand at a home-based business and wondering if this is really where God wanted me — so I asked him, “God, what do you want me to be when I grow up?” (Mind you, I was over 50 at the time). The very next day, I was asked to apply for the First Impressions Coordinator job at ACF Church. While super reluctant, I couldn’t deny that I had gotten a pretty clear answer from God, and while I didn’t really think that was where He wanted me (I mean have you met me, God?), I was obedient and applied.
What I didn’t realize at the time, is that ACF Church is exactly where God wanted me, and I was to find out over the next six years all that He had for me there — the growth, the blessings, the friends, the purpose — all of it. I met some of my best friends through this calling, and I was able to see the children of my colleagues and friends come to life and grow up. I would even picture some of the littlest ones as they entered ACF Kids and then calculate how old I would be when they entered YouthCulture (not a pretty picture). All that to say, I thought this would be where I would be until I retired from the work life completely…
And then in October of 2025, I heard God clearly tell me it was time to go. Time to go? Are you serious? But this is where I’m needed. This is where my gifts are truly used. This is where I feel purpose. This is where my family is…
And yet, my family (my blood family) wasn’t there. None of my family attended church with me. None of them understood the purpose I felt in that job. What they did know was that they rarely saw me. They rarely, if ever, really had all of me because my mind was always on the “job.” And God reminded me of what I often told others: “Your biggest mission field is your family.”
I knew immediately that I was supposed to put in my notice and leave my job. And I was sad. I was frustrated. I was even a little angry at God. Where was I supposed to go? What was I supposed to do? In that first week, I bargained a lot. I asked friends to pray for me — was I actually hearing this correctly? And confirmation after confirmation brought so much peace — and a whole lot of grief. Both can be true.
Here’s what I have learned in both of these new beginnings — I CAN trust God. He is loving, compassionate, and truly wants the best for me. Both of these changes — walking into and leaving vocational ministry — were exactly where God wanted me at the time. I’m thankful that I was obedient to his call on both occasions because I have seen so many blessings through them.
Right now, I can say that I am truly WITH my family when I’m with my family. They get all of me. I have enjoyed going to lunch with my daughter, hanging with my son, and watching football with my husband (all things I didn’t often take time for while I was working in full-time ministry).
And while I feel like I’m wandering in the desert a little, waiting to see what God “wants me to be when I grow up,” this truth is helping me remember that God is faithful, and that He is not done with me yet:
Lamentations 3:22-23 – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.”
Here I am, in a new beginning and so thankful for a God who knows where and when I’m supposed to be. I look forward to what He has for me next, because one thing I know for sure: if I have breath in my lungs, God’s not done with me.
What new beginning are you stepping out in? Know that whatever it is, God’s not done with you yet.
Written by
ACF Devo Team
Eagle River Campus
16620 Brooks Loop
Eagle River, AK 99577
NE Anchorage Campus
Regal Tikahtnu
1102 N Muldoon Rd B
Anchorage, AK 99504
